Tag Archives: LAND ART

Thank you so much to everyone who came to our Land Art event at Stone Fete on Sunday. It was a gloriously sticky summer day and a fabulous atmosphere at Stone Rec.

We arrived early to get our pitch as we had to have one on the edge (you’ll see why) and took our time getting set up while we chatted to neighbouring stallholders and watched the rally cars get into position.

After deciding to make a very basic starting design to give people an idea of what we were doing, we almost instantly began to get some interest from passing children. “how much does it cost?” they asked cautiously. “it’s FREE!” we replied with glee. “Get stuck in!”. Soon enough, kids of all ages (including very grown-up ones) were getting fully absorbed with the task, which was as enthralling to watch as to do.

It was a complete delight to see the differences in the participants; their way of thinking (it took a while before anyone decide to build UP), their type of design, and the levels of concentration and creativity. We deliberately didn’t give a lot of guidance; (the imagination of a child is far beyond what we could proscribe) and although some people initially asked us what they should do, within minutes they were doing far better by themselves. We also allowed the design to evolve, to ebb and flow throughout the day. People were reluctant to dismantle other artworks, but the nature of the activity is its change. It ended very differently from how it began, which was exactly the intention. A number of parents responded that they thought it was a great idea and that they would now be gathering materials in their garden to make their own sculptures. Part of our reason behind doing this was to leave people with a sense of ownership over it, that they can take the idea with them, re-use it, recreate it. You don’t need a studio of art materials to embrace creativity, you can do it anywhere around you.

Overall, we had a great time and chatted to hundreds of local residents, gathering feedback about what kind of arts event they would most like to see in the local area. Thank you so much to everyone who got involved. You lot are awesome!

Following the success of our Land Art sculpting at our recent Spring Fayre, we were invited to deliver a similar event at the Bridge Development Community Day on 19th August.

Tim and Amanda kindly volunteered to host the experience and the results were amazing! The local community visitors threw themselves into the designs and came up with some beautiful sculptures, ranging from mandala patterns, to faces and dancer figures.

A great community engagement tool, as well as art workshop, we’ll certainly be using this model in future events.

Thank you so much to everyone who came along to our Spring Fayre at the weekend. It was a fantastic day and enjoyed by all. As our jester pranced around the stalls making children and adults alike giggle with his hilarious mime, folk duo Swan & Dyer provided a lovely soundtrack as the fayre got started. Morris group the Screaming Banshees started the dancing off, inviting audience members to get involved in the performance too. Our Land Art sculpture started to take shape and attract the attention of the passing crowds who joined in the construction and design, creating beautiful mandala and linear patterns using natural materials. The beer was flowing, provided by the brilliant Caveman Brewery, and soaked up by delicious handmade pizzas and popcorn. We felt the presence of the Green Man all around the Fayre – from his wonderful sculptural embodiment created by DAN member Nicola Claxton, to appearing in various forms in the street art paint jam artworks which developed throughout the day. Visitors perused the intricate handmade crafts, artworks and jewellery at the stalls, and many sat on the grass and produced pieces of art for the What If Gallery art competition. The art workshop run by the What If Gallery was packed full of kids and adults all day long, as was the face painting stall. Interspersed with all this we had acapella sea shanties performed by local group Swinging the Lead, with the day finished off by the extraordinary 4×4 Bhangra, who had everyone up dancing enthusiastically – even the Mayor was up on the stage! All in all it was a great day, and everyone who was involved in the organisation and management of the project should be very proud of themselves. Thank you to everyone who helped and came along, we hope you all enjoyed it. Feedback from chatting to visitors was that the event had a charming ‘village fayre’ ethos to it, intimate, relaxed and friendly – everything we hoped it would be. If you have any comments about the event, or want to get involved in our projects, please email us at hello@dartfordartsnetwork.com.